I am currently the Cofounder and CEO of Influence & Co. - We help companies position key individuals as industry influencers and thought leaders. We focus on creating high-quality content, coming from our clients, that reaches their target audience online. Our clients range from startups to fast-growing companies on the Inc. 5000, as well as Fortune 500 brands.

10 Leaders Who Aren't Afraid To Be Transparent

There are companies, like 3M3M, that have made transparency a big part of their culture, as demonstrated by their commitment to Scotch tape. For others, it isn’t as easy. Transparency is something many leaders shy away from; the repercussions of people finding out their “secrets” could be detrimental to their companies. Despite this, there are leaders who make an effort to create a level of trust with clients, employees, and investors. The following 10 leaders are clearing the way for a better, more open business world.

1. Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz – If there’s a president in the world of transparency, it’s definitely Rand. A couple days ago, he posted his own performance review. In it, you can see that Rand challenges himself quite a bit. SEOmoz has made their funding decks open to the public, which is pretty much unheard of. They share all of their failures (and their successes) with the world so others can learn from their experiences.

2. Jason Fried of 37signals – Jason helped pioneer a “Happiness Report,” which allows you to see how positive their last 100 customer support interactions were. His philosophy is that transparency truly succeeds only when it’s both internal and external. His customers get to see the service that is provided, and his employees are motivated to improve its quality.

3. Jim Whitehurst of Red HatRed Hat – Red Hat has a great, employee-fueled forum called “memo-list,” which functions as a social network to facilitate communication about major issues or any other topic that should be openly discussed. Jim and other leaders interact, encouraging collaboration and transparency in decision-making.

4. Brandon Dempsey of goBRANDgo! – Brandon’s company posts its financials on the wall in their office (See picture to the right). They share revenue, profit, cash flow, cash account balances, credit card balances, payroll, lines of credit, expenses, and the previous year’s history as well. Brandon wants his employees, partners, and clients to all know exactly where the company stands.

5. Tony Hsieh of Zappos – Tony and Zappos do remarkable things when it comes to transparency. Two of their most recent tweets are actually emails he sent to his employees about facility operations – a great way to keep customers informed about what’s going on behind the scenes.

6. Jordan Guernsey of Molding Box – Molding Box doesn’t hide the fact that it hires ex-cons. Instead, Jordan promotes the idea that people deserve a second chance; by integrating these ex-cons back into society, the company does both these individuals and their community a service. Russell Bloss, a former bank robber, has proved this, as noted in a recent article in KSL.com.

8. Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income – In an Internet marketing world that has spawned some shady marketers, Pat Flynn has separated himself as a transparent leader. Pat shares how much he earns from products, advertising, and clients on his blog posts, highlighting how he has succeeded – and failed.

9. Jason Goldberg of Fab – Jason emerged from a gay social network to become a retail phenomenon. If you check out Betashop.com you’ll see Jason shares everything from company financials to vacation plans. Jason consistently communicates with his customers to build long-term trust.

10. Andy Levine of Development Counsellors International– DCI became an “open book” company by implementing “The Game.” This platform created a monthly game that communicates the company’s complete financial picture to each staff member. To give every staff member a financial stake in the outcome, when a certain profit is accrued, a “win” is declared. Thirty percent of this profit is then distributed across the company, based upon a formula derived from each staff member’s base salary during the “win” period.

This list contains companies boasting different sizes, industries, and tactics. But each example proves it’s okay to leave the B.S. out of business and be real with people. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or part of a large company, it’s good to show that you have nothing to hide. When I was building DTA, these were some of the leaders that inspired me. I hope these examples can help you clear up the fog in your business, as well.

John Hall is the CEO of Influence & Co., a company that assists individuals and brands in growing their influence through thought leadership and content marketing programs. Influence & Co., one of the leading providers of high quality expert content to the world’s top publications, is the creator of Contributor Weekly. Connect with John on Twitter or Google+.

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Comments

That is so nice to see. Thanks for writing an article about transparency in business. I work with small, local businesses… they need to see this. I’m always urging my own clients that trust comes from being transparent in their daily operations and in their marketing. Thanks again. I will be sharing!

Pat Flynn is a very open blogger about his successes and failures. He always gives his best opinion or advice on what works and what doesn’t, but leaves it up to the reader to decide. I see so many so-called experts tell you things as if what they said is “god”, but Pat is nothing like that. I love it when I get information straight with no “fluff” in between. I can read through BS myself, but with Pat, you get real honest content.

When I went to an internet marketing conference recently I was disappointed in the fluff that was out there. However, I was immediately impressed by Pat. He’s a leader in that realm and deserved to be on the list.

Pat Flynn I been following him for the last year or so I can proudly say he is a star with all the information he gives out. He is the most transparent person in business, he is also a great motivator in getting people to take action and change their lives.

Great article and well done Pat for getting your name in this great list Smart Passive Income power!

I’m glad to help you out with this one. Brent Beshore is another solid person to follow, but I had to leave him off because he is an investor in DTA. I wanted to keep the list clean of me having to make a bunch of disclosures.